It is time to plant your beets | Oregon State University Extension Service | Gardening It is time to plant your beets This article has been updated. Please check our website for the most recent story. Last Updated: July 12, 2006 CORVALLIS - Beets are best planted as early as you can get into your garden, starting in March or April, about two to four weeks before the last killing frost in your area. Plant beets successively at three to four-week intervals into July and you will have a continuous supply of fresh, tender beets until autumn. Beet seeds are best planted an inch or two apart, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Each seed is actually a dried fruit or seed ball, containing several tiny true seeds. Heat, drought or soil crusting may interfere with beet seed germination and emergence. So keep the soil surface moist to alleviate such problems. Do not overwater. Needing a cool soil to grow and good spacing for sunlight, beets are not harmed by spring and fall frosts. But their roots may become tough during hot weather. Start thinning beets to three to four inches apart when the leaves are about six inches tall.

Use these young beets for greens. Begin harvesting beet roots when they reach the size of your little finger. This thinning will provide more room for the remaining plants. Most beets mature in about eight to nine weeks from planting. Harvest the remainder before they become woody or freeze in the fall. A 10- to 15-foot row of beets will feed a family of four during the growing season. The root depth averages up to six inches, so water deeply. According to the University of California at Berkeley Wellness Encyclopedia of Foods and Nutrition, beets have the highest sugar content of any vegetable, but are low in calories. Beet roots contain vitamin C and folacin, key nutrients for good heath. And beet greens, eaten like spinach, are excellent sources of vitamin A, calcium and iron. Beets can be prepared as a hot side dish, in soups such as borscht, in salads and can be pickled. They can be boiled, steamed, microwaved or wrapped in foil and baked.

The Oregon State University Extension Service recommends the following varieties of beets as performing well in Oregon: Ruby Queen, Red Ace, Warrior, Scarlet Early, Kestrel, Solo; (cylindrical) Cylindra, Forono Beetroot - Cylindra - Green Vegetable Seeds - Grow Your Own Vegetables Beetroot – Cylindra - €1.80 Beetroot – Cylindra A delicious and very high yielding cylindrical shaped beetroot. Can become quite large and yet remains tender. Ideal for pickling. Sowing: Sow directly outside in a well prepared seed bed in shallow drills (1.5cm deep) from mid April until June. Between rows: 25cm Between plants in the row: 10cm Approx. seed count: 200 Family: Chenopodiaceae (Goosefoot Family) Related to: Chard, perpetual spinach, sugar beet and annual spinach. Botanical classification: Beta is the Latin term for beetroot; or from the Celtic bett, meaning red. Vulgaris means common. Introduction: Beetroot are delicious and very easily grown vegetables. From just two sowings you can get 8 months supply of roots.

They do not suffer from any pests and diseases. The secret is to avoid any growth check otherwise the plants may bolt or become woody. If you haven’t eaten home-grown beetroot yet you will be in for a treat. History: Beetroot originates from Northern Africa and Western Asia and was used as a food plant for at least 2000 years. The Romans introduced the beetroot into Northern Europe. The Celts grew a white beetroot (Beta rapa). Red Beetroot was first mentioned in the 13th century in northern Italy. It was only in the 17th century that the red beetroot became the main type in Europe. The wild beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima is a common seaside plant in south and west Europe. Types: The most popular beetroot is the red and round (known as globe) type, but there are also yellow and white types available. A very interesting variety to grow is ‘Barbietola di Chioggia’ which has alternating red and white rings. Some years they were absolutely delicious and then the following year they were tough and woody. There are also long cylindrical beetroot. These are ideal for pickling as all the slices are the same size.

They also tend to be higher yielding. Soil and site: Beetroot prefers light, well-drained soil. Fresh manure application before sowing should be avoided, a dressing of old compost incorporated in early spring is very beneficial. Beetroot is one of the easiest vegetables to grow so even on heavy soil you can grow excellent beetroot, provided you have raised beds (to improve drainage). Sowing: It is very important to remember that most beetroot seeds are clusters of more than one seed. This means if you sow one seed, you will have three to five seedlings germinating. These have to be thinned to one seedling soon after germination otherwise the beetroot will remain very small. Many modern varieties have single seeds. If you want to buy these you have to look out for ‘monogerm’ varieties in seed catalogues. Early varieties for summer use can be sown directly outside in a well prepared seed bed in shallow drills (1.5cm). I never had much success with the early sowings in March. The earliest I would start is in late April, but you get a much better crop in May. For the early sowing in April make sure you use a bolt resistant variety such as ‘Boltardy’.

Some gardeners prefer to raise the seedlings in large modular trays. If you try this method make sure that you plant the seedlings out when they are still quite small. I always found beetroot very easy to sow directly outside as the seeds are large enough and easy to handle and I do not want to clutter up valuable propagation space. Maincrop varieties are best sown directly outside like the early crop in the last two weeks in May or even into June if you missed these times. During that time they germinate very quickly (7-10 days) and grow very fast. The reason for getting woody, tough beetroot is often slow growth. Spacing: Final spacing: 20cm between the rows and 10cm between rows. Main crop: Final spacing: 25cm between the rows and 10cm between rows. I initially sow the seeds about 2.5cm apart and then thin them in two stages. The first thinning is done a couple of weeks after germination. I remove all unwanted seedlings from the clusters (not for monogerm varieties) and leave one seedling every 5cm. The thinnings rarely do well when transplanted.

If you have gaps in the rows you are better off sowing a few new seeds. When they reach the baby beetroot stage you can harvest every second plant. These are delicious and you can also cook the leaves like spinach. This allows the remaining plants to fully develop. Rotation: Beetroot and other members of the goosefoot family are not prone to any specific pests and diseases so you do not have to be too fussy about rotation. You could use them as ‘flexi-crops’ or gap fillers. Plant care: Apart from keeping the crop weed free and properly thinned to the required spacing, there is no other maintenance required. Harvesting: Early beetroot can be harvested throughout the summer at whatever size you prefer them or whenever you want some beetroot. It is best to twist off the leaves to avoid damage and bleeding of the roots. Maincrop beetroot for storage should be left until October. Of course, if you want to eat some before then there is no problem, but if you grow some for storing you should let them mature until October. Storing: Beetroot is an excellent winter vegetable and stores extremely well in boxes of damp sand (see page ).

One year I had beetroot until May of the following year and they were still as good as freshly harvested roots. Potential problems: Beetroot is one of the easiest vegetables to grow. There is no specific pest or disease that affects beetroot. Slugs may eat young seedlings especially if sown too early or if the garden is a bit wild, but generally they would go for the other vegetables first. Boron deficiency: Beetroot is very sensitive to a deficiency of boron in the soil. The symptoms are brown sunken patches on the roots and black areas inside the root. How much to grow? You may eat 3 reasonable sized beetroot per week. Beetroot will store safely in boxes of sand in a shed from October until the end of April which is 28 weeks. 28 weeks multiplied by 3 beetroot per week makes a total of 84 beetroot. If your spacing is 10cm in the row you get 4 rows in a bed (bed width: 1.2m) you will get 40 beetroot per meter of your bed. In only 2 meters of your bed you can grow enough beetroot to give you a few roots for 28 weeks!

Varieties: My favourite variety of beetroot is ‘Pablo F1’. I have grown them for the last few years and I have given up experimenting with other varieties because this one is just perfect. In case you cannot get ‘Pablo’ you can try: Detroit Globe Heirloom Beet Seeds, Untreated, Open Pollinated, Vegetable Seeds - Sustainable Seed Company Results Per Page Beet Seeds When to Plant Beet Seeds: Heirloom beets are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. This being said, beet seeds may be sown as soon as the ground can be worked, although you may not get maximum germination from all your seeds. Optimum soil temperature for beet seed germination is around 60 degrees F. For succession beet crop, seed plantings can be made every 2 weeks to midsummer. Heirloom beets become tough and stringy if grown in hot weather during droughts; ample water supply is essential to succulent roots. A late summer crop of beet seeds can be sown for fall harvest. Plant beets in full sun. Soil: Heirloom beets are native to Mediterranean climates, where the soil is normally alkaline.

Therefore the best beets come from soil that has been well limed. Heirloom beets prefer a soil with a pH around 6.5 Like most root crops, a rich, sandy loam prepared with well-rotted manure and compost to a depth of 8 inches is perfect. The soil should be well pulverized to remove rocks and clods so that roots form correctly and quickly. All this being said, beets grow well in just about any soil that insn't too acidic. Remember to use bone meal to encourage luscious fat beet root development. Planting Beet Seeds: Presoak heirloom beet seeds overnight before planting to help them get a good, quick start. Sow seed 1/2 inch deep in rows 12-18 inches apart. The beet seed is a tight ball of several tiny seeds. As many as three plants may germinate where each seed is sown, so seed should be placed sparingly. When seedlings are 4-6 inches high, thin plants to stand 1 1/2 inches apart. (Don't throw these thinnings out!

Use them in a salad.) As the heirloom beets grow to about the size of a marble, pull every other one to allow larger beets to grow. It is very important to provide consistent moisture so beets do not become woody. Unless of course you are a beaver! Vegetable & Fruit Growing Vegetable & Fruit Growing Asparagus Connovers Colossal Asparagus A variety that has stood the test of time, thick stalks of mid-green with a superb flavour. Beds will produce good crops for 15-20 years once established. Gijnlim Asparagus These one year old plants are quick to establish. Beds should be prepared well in advance so the roots can be planted as soon as possible after receipt. Your first crop should be the following season. Jacmar Purple Asparagus Second to none for sweetness and tenderness. Try it cold in a healthy salad. It has a very low fibre content which means that almost the entire spear is free of the tough fibre normally found on the bottom of the green varieties. Asparagus Varieties to try Connovers Colossal Asparagus A variety that has stood the test of time, thick stalks of mid-green with a superb flavour.

Beds will produce good crops for 15-20 years once established. Gijnlim Asparagus These one year old plants are quick to establish. Beds should be prepared well in advance so the roots can be planted as soon as possible after receipt. Your first crop should be the following season. Jacmar Purple Asparagus Second to none for sweetness and tenderness. Try it cold in a healthy salad. It has a very low fibre content which means that almost the entire spear is free of the tough fibre normally found on the bottom of the green varieties. Jersey Knight F1 Asparagus All male hybrid giving improved production of spears up to 2cm (1") thick. Cooking Oca Email How to Cook Oca Oca can be treated much like potatoes regarding cooking but they need much less cooking time, simply boil, roast or mash! To Roast Just lightly toss them in olive oil or cold pressed rapeseed oil with a few twists of pepper and sea salt and put into a hot oven for around 20 minutes. Try this maybe!

Stir-fried Chicken with Ham, Leeks and Oca over Steamed Mizuna Ingredients Rape seed oil for stir frying ¼ pound ham, cubed 1lb Mizuna (rocket if you have no mizuna) 2 garlic cloves 2 small leeks or 1 large one 2 quarter slices of fresh ginger ¼ lb Oca Pepper jelly (depending how how you like your food) How to cook: Cube the chicken breast into 2cm cubes Slice two small leeks or one large one, crosswise into pieces about 2 inches long, and slice the white part lengthwise. Cut about ¼ pound ham into ½-inch cubes Rinse about a pound of mizuna. Mince two cloves of garlic and two quarter-size slices of ginger. Cut ¼ pound oca into approximate ½-inch cubes. (Ocas don’t need peeling, but scrub them with a nail brush (I keep one for kitchen use only! to make sure no gritty soil is on them.) In a wok with a little rapeseed oil add stir fry the chicken till golden in colour and cooked through Add the leeks and stir-fry breifly. Add the garlic and ginger and toss, set aside.

Add the Oca to the wok and stir-fry briefly. Add two tablespoon of water or Sake (Rice Wine) if you have it, reduce heat and cover wok. Cook Oca until they are just tender as you like and put them in the bowl with the leeks and chicken. Add more oil if needed and briefly stir-fry the ham. Add the pepper jelly to taste, and sake if using water if not to the wok to make a sauce, you need enough to make the final meal well coated but not completely imersed. Add the chicken and leeks mixture and coat in the sauce adding a little roasted sesame oil for flavour and toss a few times. Steam the Mizuna in the wok just until the greens have wilted. Spread the mizuna in a serving bowl or on a platter, and put the reserved chicken, ham, and vegetables on top. Serve the dish with steamed rice. Growing Asparagus Growing Asparagus Growing Asparagus As said before asparagus really hates boggy heavy and clay soils so the key to growing the perennial vegetable is making sure its growing site is well suited to its needs.

Now if you have the wrong type of soil don't despair, build a good raised bed and fill it with a mix of sand, small gravel, light top soil and well-rotted manure or compost to the result is light and fertile with a pH of 6.5-7.5 ideally. Feed the bed twice a year, once in March and then again after the cropping season has ended to build up a strong crown. At the end of the growing season the foliage will start to turn yellow, when this happens it is time to cut the tops down to around 2-3in above the soil, and then mulch the bed with well-rotted manure or compost. Courgette Varieties to try All Green Bush Courgette High yields of dark green fruits that should be cut when about 8-10cm long. Crops over a long period when harvested regularly.. Ambassador F1 Courgette A early variety with dark green fruits. Atena Polka F1 Courgette Brighten your dish with this bright yellow fruited variety. Excellent flavoured courgettes and very prolific.. Battani F1 Courgette An early high yielding variety producing large quantities of very dark green small fruits.

Clarion F1 Courgette (Lebanese Type) Very early into fruit. Compact bush habit bearing light green mottled fruit in good quantities and with slightly tapered shape. Harvest when 12 to 15cm long. Defender F1 Courgette Heavy yielding variety which is resistant to Cucumber Mosaic Virus. Deep green fruits are produced all summer long if cropped regularly. Bush habit. Early Gem F1 Courgette Very early crop of dark green fruits with a lighter green stripe. Dual purpose as the fruits can be left to form good shaped marrows. Floridor F1 Courgette An exciting spherical courgette, very productive with golden yellow fruit. Defender F1 Courgette Heavy yielding variety which is resistant to Cucumber Mosaic Virus. Deep green fruits are produced all summer long if cropped regularly. Bush habit. Midnight F1 Courgette A slightly speckled courgette with a good flavour, compact and bushy plant. Ideal for growing in containers. Completely spineless and so easier to pick. Nero de Milano Courgette Medium early, dark green, cylindrical fruit of about 18-20cm in length. Erect, open plant habit for easy picking.

Partenon F1 Courgette Self pollinating, no need for insects. Will crop all season, summer to autumn. Ideal for container growing. High yielding. Excellent flavour. Tondo Di Nizza Courgette Light green mottled fruit but the difference is that Tondo is round. Pick when the fruits are about 10cm in diameter. Trailing habit, needs space. Zucchini Courgette Smooth skin of really dark green. Slim and cylindrical with excellent internal quality. Ideal for freezing. Tromboncino Courgette Unlike any zucchini you have ever grown or seen! Fruits grow long and curved with bell at the flower end. Harvest fruits at around 30cm long. Fruits will grow to a spectacular metre long and are still good to eat at that length! Plants are vigorous climbers or can be left to trail on the ground. Beetroot Seedlings 1 Soil preparation To make a seed bed, remove weeds and dig over the site with a spade, removing any particularly large stones. Level roughly and then work over the area with a rake to leave a fine finish.

If you can, two or three weeks before sowing, spread a general granular fertiliser across the site and rake into the soil. 2 How to sow seed Seed can be sown directly into the soil from April to July. Make a 2cm (0.75in) deep trench with the corner of a rake (or a cane will do) and drop in two seeds every 10cm (4in). Cover, water well and label - when the seedlings are about 2cm (0.75in) high, remove the weakest of each pair to leave one beetroot seedling every 10cm (4in). If you want a plentiful supply of beetroot, sow seeds every month, keeping rows 20cm (8in) apart. If you have a small garden, beetroot are easy to grow in pots. To grow in pots (ideal for round varieties, not long cylindrical ones), choose containers that are 20cm (8in) in diameter and at least 20cm (8in) deep. Fill loosely with multi-purpose compost leaving the compost just shy of the top.

Tap the pot gently to settle, and firm with your finger tips aiming to leave a 4cm (1.5in) gap between the surface of the compost and the top of the pot. Sow seeds thinly across the surface and cover with 2cm (0.75in) of compost. Water and thin out seedlings when they're about 2cm (0.75in) tall, leaving 12cm (5in) gaps between them. 3 Aftercare This is really easy. Remove weeds and keep seedlings well watered, especially during dry periods as this will stunt the growth of plants. Cauliflower from Seed Growing Cauliflower from Seed Sowing in Modular trays Use a seed compost which has a finer texture and lower nutrients than your standard multipurpose compost. We use a seed module tray with each section being approx 2 inches deep. Fill the seed tray with compost and brush off any excess. When filling the tray rub the compost through your hands to break up any lumps. Give the tray a sharp bang on your table to settle. With your fingers make small depressions in each cell about a fingernail or 1.5cm deep. Sow 1 or 2 seeds per module.

If 2 seeds germinate you will have to remove the weaker seedling. Cover the seeds with another layer of compost then scrape across the top of the tray with a stick to remove excess. Gently water your seeds. A good tip is to use a plastic bottle with small holes punched in the cap. This is less likely to wash the seed around than the heavy spray from a watering can. Place your trays in your greenhouse, poly tunnel, cold frame or windowsill to germinate. They should be ready to plant out in about 4 weeks. If you're sowing in March the seeds will need some warmth. Use a propagator, heat mat or a warm south facing windowsill. Watering It's important to keep you seedlings properly watered before you plant them out in the garden. You are actually far better to under rather than over water your plants. This may sound odd but making the roots search for water helps to develop a better root system. It's a bit like keeping fit. You do need to be careful, however, not to let the compost plug completely dry out or it will form a crust on top and won't absorb the moisture the next time you water.

It will all depend on the weather of course but on a hot day you will need to water twice a day, if it's it's dull every 2 days will be fine. Hardening Off Plants that have been raised indoors will need to get used to the outdoor temperature and conditions before they can be planted outside, this will take about a week to 10 days depending on the weather. The best way is to use a cloche or mini greenhouse. You can leave the cloche off the plants on dry frost free days and replace at night. Gradually increase the time with the cloche removed until the end of the week when you leave it off day and night. If the weather is mild you may not need the cloche, just move the plants outside for longer periods each day. If you have started your seeds on a windowsill you will need to leave them in an unheated room for a day or two before moving outside to the cloche. Planting Out Planting cauliflower vegetable seedlingsCauliflower plants should be planted 60cm between plants and 60cm between rows. The distance between the plants will determine the size of the head so try to stick to the recommended distance.

The closer you plant, the smaller the head. It has become fashionable recently to grow mini cauliflower so if you want to keep up with the Jones's you could plant 15cm x 25cm. Like cabbage, cauliflower needs a well compacted soil so ideally have your digging and manureing done a couple of months in advance. If this isn't possible make sure you firm around the seedling very well with your boot, it's o.k. to be heavy handed here as firm soil is very important. Water your plants well an hour before planting. To plant your seedling make a hole in the soil the approximate size of the seedling 'plug'. You need to push the soil in around the roots firmly with your fingers to get good contact with the soil. Don't firm down on the top of the soil as this can compact it and prevent moisture getting down to the plants roots. Water the plants after planting but do not soak them. You are better to transplant on a dull day or in the evening to prevent the plants wilting on a hot, dry day.

Florence Fennel Varieties Growing Cauliflower Growing Cauliflowers Cauliflowers do best in very fertile soil, and digging in a bucketful of well-rotted manure or organic matter before planting, and raking in 150g per sq m of Growmore or other general purpose fertiliser, will help growth. Firm the soil by treading before planting. If growth is checked, at any time during growth, they produce small, deformed heads. To avoid problems, water plants well the day before transplanting and make a hole deep enough to hold the plant with the lowest leaves at ground level. Fill this hole repeatedly with water. This will fill the hole with soil and ensure the plant is sitting in a large area of moist soil. Firm the soil very well against the roots Space summer and autumn cropping types 60cm (2ft) apart and winter cultivars 75cm (2.5ft) apart; spacing 30-45cm (12-18in) apart, provides mini, 'one person' curds. Water well in dry weather, watering every 10 days, and applying sufficient water to thoroughly wet the root zone.

Once the plants are growing well, add 30g per square metre of high nitrogen fertiliser such as sulphate of ammonia or Growmore to boost growth and curd formation. Blanching CauliflowerWhen and How to Blanch Cauliflower Cauliflower needs cool temperatures, a consistent supply of moisture and lots of fertilizer. To get white curds on many varieties, it is necessary to tie up the leaves around the developing curd. The first thing to know is when to blanch a cauliflower head. Start checking your plants about 30 days after transplanting your seedlings. The curds develop quickly and it’s that development that tells you when to blanch. A cauliflower curd about the size of a chicken egg is perfect. Smaller curds are already protected from the light by the leaves surrounding them. As they grow, they become more exposed and this is the time to begin blanching. Cauliflower curds develop rapidly into full heads so the window is small. Cauliflower is extremely susceptible to fungus, so the second condition of when to blanch a cauliflower would be the driest part of the day. You don’t want to trap moisture inside your leaf cover. How to blanch cauliflower successfully is the next step.

When the curd is 2 to 3 inches in diameter (about the size of that egg) the large outer leaves should be tied up and over the emerging curds. The easiest way to do this is to tie the leaves with rubber bands, tape or twine. If you’re using rubber bands, be sure they are sturdy enough to contain the growing leaves and heads. The leaves should be tied loosely to give the curds plenty of room to grow. Since the curds develop at different rates, you’ll need to check your plants for several days, tying up those that are ready. If your planting is large, using a different color band or string for each day will prove useful for harvest, as those heads that were tied first will be ready for harvest first. Time from tying to harvest varies from 4 to 5 days during warm spring weather to 14 to 21 days during the cool days of autumn. Cauliflower Varieties to try Aalsmeer Cauliflower Early vigorous variety with excellent curds that are well protected. Creamy white heads of good depth and weight. Frost hardy. All The Year Round Cauliflower Good old standby variety. Highly reliable.

Sow October in a cold frame, plant out in March, cut in June. Sow February to April, cut late June to September. Autumn Giant Cauliflower Large solid white heads well protected from the weather. Aviron F1 Cauliflower Superb deep large curds with strong leaf growth for light frost protection. Ideal for poorer soils and low nitrogen cultivation.. Barcelona F1 Cauliflower A very early variety of cauliflower that is ideally suited to an October sowing, this variety produces white curds of exceptional quality and makes for an ideal replacement for Alpha 7 Jubro. Belot F1 Cauliflower Produces high quality heads fro cutting October to December. Has excellent deep clean white curds. Candid Charm F1 Cauliflower Candid Charm F1 Cauliflower benefits from large pure white heads covered by dark green leaves. It is very fast to maturity where it will produce brilliant yields of high quality cauliflower to eat. Clapton F1 Cauliflower A cauliflower with good quality white curds carried high off the ground so is kept very clean. Club root resistant. Goodman F1 Cauliflower Early variety with a vigorous growing habit with well protected, solid, white curds. Matures approximately 80-90 days after transplanting.

Organic seed. Graffiti F1 Cauliflower Deepest purple cauliflower curds, perfect for adding colour to any summer or autumn dish, delicious and highly nutritious. Matures within 75-80 days with a good head weight. Green Trevi F1 Cauliflower Something different, delightful pale green heads of medium size and excellent taste. Sow June for October cutting. Igloo Cauliflower An early variety with good, clean, white heads. Can be used as mini-vegetable when grown close together, or at wider spacing for larger heads. Lisbonia F1 Cauliflower A great replacement for Wallaby, very upright foliage and narrow base. Performs best during the September harvest period. Maystar (EWK) Cauliflower Solid curds of pure white, ideal for floret freezing as well as usual cooking. Medallion F1 Cauliflower Sow May or June for cropping late February to early March. Very uniform with deep, round and heavy curds but not suitable for Northern areas Romanesco Cauliflower Highly attractive head of lime green made up of a mass of small conical shaped florets forming a pointed curd not unlike a green cauliflower. Superb flavour and more tender texture than cauliflower.

Matures September to October Romanesco Navona F1 Cauliflower Dark green curds with no braces. Excellent flavour. Plant mid June for harvesting late summer/ Autumn. Snow Prince F1 Cauliflower Selected for maturity a little later. Sow in April and May to Harvest from September to October. Snowball Cauliflower Regular favourite that has stood the test of time. Dwarf compact plants can be set closer than others. Sunset F1 Cauliflower Unique orange curds. Great raw in salads or as a cooked vegetable. Semi-upright habit with medium green leaves. Garlic Varieties available in our store: Click Here There are two main types of garlic; Hardneck and Softneck see below for the characteristics for both. Hardneck garlic is a group of cultivars selected from Allium sativum var. ophioscorodon originating from climates with colder winters.

It has the following characteristics: Flower stalks appear readily Fewer, larger cloves covered with a looser tunic are produced It is considered to have stronger and more interesting flavour It is best gathered when the foliage has changed colour It stores only until mid-winter Softneck garlic (Allium sativum) generally produces smaller, more tightly-packet cloves; Does not produce flower stalks unless stressed It is best harvested when the foliage starts going over It has better storage qualities than hardneck varieties If autumn planted it will keep until mid- to late-winter If planted in early spring softneck varieties it can be stored until mid-spring Recommended Garlic to try Approx. 15 cloves per 2 bulb pack. Plant in the spring. Provence Wight Garlic Large white soft neck garlic that can produce bulbs that approach elephant garlic size. Sweet and substantial and will keep up to January. Large fat cloves that suit vegetable and fish dishes of the Mediterranean. Like many Mediterranean types, responds to heavy watering in the 3 months before harvest. Spring planting is possible although will produce smaller bulbs. Red Donetsk Garlic Red Donetsk Garlic is a hardneck variety which has a beautiful purple striped appearance which comes from south eastern Ukraine. It is a vigorous type of plant which produces very large cloves.

Once harvested, this garlic will keep until at least January. This is our strongest tasting garlic available. Red Duke Garlic Red Duke Garlic is a hardneck variety with bright white skins with fierce and spicy flavours, which are the signatures of this exotic garlic from Czech Republic; with plump purple cloves. This variety of garlic is noted for being one of the very hot and strong varieties commonly planted in the UK. Solent Wight Garlic An improved selection of Solent Wight, producing larger quality bulbs than many will have thought it not possible to grow. Long keeping to March and beyond next year. An aroma and bouquet without compare - giving excellent length and strength. Tuscany Wight Garlic This Large white garlic is a late type. Widely grown in Tuscany where is suits warm summers and cooler winters compared with Southern Italy. Widely used in Umbrian dishes and with chicken. Vallelado Garlic Originating from the north of Spain, this is a white garlic to be planted in the autumn or early spring. Unlike other Mediterranean white softnecks from Provence or southern Spain, it has excellent keeping qualities and is likely to do far better in our cooler climate. It should be ready to harvest end of June.

8-10 cloves per bulb. Vegetable Varieties for Gardeners - Search Results 53 Hybrid. Dark red, rounded, roots harvested for smooth baby beets or full size with small crown and no zoning . Use for early bunching. Bright green 12- to 13-inch tops are semi-glossy. Tolerant of downy mildew, powdery mildew, bolting, cercospora, rhizoctonia. Also known as 'Kestral'. Beetroot Mix - Green Vegetable Seeds - Grow Your Own Vegetables Chard, perpetual spinach, sugar beet and annual spinach. Botanical classification: Beta is the Latin term for beetroot; or from the Celtic bett, meaning red. Vulgaris means common. Introduction: Beetroot are delicious and very easily grown vegetables. From just two sowings you can get 8 months supply of roots. They do not suffer from any pests and diseases. The secret is to avoid any growth check otherwise the plants may bolt or become woody. If you haven’t eaten home-grown beetroot yet you will be in for a treat.

History: Beetroot originates from Northern Africa and Western Asia and was used as a food plant for at least 2000 years. The Romans introduced the beetroot into Northern Europe. The Celts grew a white beetroot (Beta rapa). Red Beetroot was first mentioned in the 13th century in northern Italy. It was only in the 17th century that the red beetroot became the main type in Europe. The wild beet, Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima is a common seaside plant in south and west Europe. Types: The most popular beetroot is the red and round (known as globe) type, but there are also yellow and white types available. A very interesting variety to grow is ‘Barbietola di Chioggia’ which has alternating red and white rings. Some years they were absolutely delicious and then the following year they were tough and woody. There are also long cylindrical beetroot. These are ideal for pickling as all the slices are the same size. They also tend to be higher yielding. Soil and site: Beetroot prefers light, well-drained soil. Fresh manure application before sowing should be avoided, a dressing of old compost incorporated in early spring is very beneficial.

Beetroot is one of the easiest vegetables to grow so even on heavy soil you can grow excellent beetroot, provided you have raised beds (to improve drainage). Sowing: It is very important to remember that most beetroot seeds are clusters of more than one seed. This means if you sow one seed, you will have three to five seedlings germinating. These have to be thinned to one seedling soon after germination otherwise the beetroot will remain very small. Many modern varieties have single seeds. If you want to buy these you have to look out for ‘monogerm’ varieties in seed catalogues. Early varieties for summer use can be sown directly outside in a well prepared seed bed in shallow drills (1.5cm). I never had much success with the early sowings in March. The earliest I would start is in late April, but you get a much better crop in May. For the early sowing in April make sure you use a bolt resistant variety such as ‘Boltardy’. Some gardeners prefer to raise the seedlings in large modular trays. If you try this method make sure that you plant the seedlings out when they are still quite small.

I always found beetroot very easy to sow directly outside as the seeds are large enough and easy to handle and I do not want to clutter up valuable propagation space. Maincrop varieties are best sown directly outside like the early crop in the last two weeks in May or even into June if you missed these times. During that time they germinate very quickly (7-10 days) and grow very fast. The reason for getting woody, tough beetroot is often slow growth. Spacing: Final spacing: 20cm between the rows and 10cm between rows. Main crop: Final spacing: 25cm between the rows and 10cm between rows. I initially sow the seeds about 2.5cm apart and then thin them in two stages. The first thinning is done a couple of weeks after germination. I remove all unwanted seedlings from the clusters (not for monogerm varieties) and leave one seedling every 5cm. The thinnings rarely do well when transplanted. If you have gaps in the rows you are better off sowing a few new seeds. When they reach the baby beetroot stage you can harvest every second plant.

These are delicious and you can also cook the leaves like spinach. This allows the remaining plants to fully develop. Rotation: Beetroot and other members of the goosefoot family are not prone to any specific pests and diseases so you do not have to be too fussy about rotation. You could use them as ‘flexi-crops’ or gap fillers. Plant care: Apart from keeping the crop weed free and properly thinned to the required spacing, there is no other maintenance required. Harvesting: Early beetroot can be harvested throughout the summer at whatever size you prefer them or whenever you want some beetroot. It is best to twist off the leaves to avoid damage and bleeding of the roots. Maincrop beetroot for storage should be left until October. Of course, if you want to eat some before then there is no problem, but if you grow some for storing you should let them mature until October. Storing: Beetroot is an excellent winter vegetable and stores extremely well in boxes of damp sand (see page ). One year I had beetroot until May of the following year and they were still as good as freshly harvested roots. Potential problems: Beetroot is one of the easiest vegetables to grow.

There is no specific pest or disease that affects beetroot. Slugs may eat young seedlings especially if sown too early or if the garden is a bit wild, but generally they would go for the other vegetables first. Boron deficiency: Beetroot is very sensitive to a deficiency of boron in the soil. The symptoms are brown sunken patches on the roots and black areas inside the root. How much to grow? You may eat 3 reasonable sized beetroot per week. Beetroot will store safely in boxes of sand in a shed from October until the end of April which is 28 weeks. 28 weeks multiplied by 3 beetroot per week makes a total of 84 beetroot. If your spacing is 10cm in the row you get 4 rows in a bed (bed width: 1.2m) you will get 40 beetroot per meter of your bed. In only 2 meters of your bed you can grow enough beetroot to give you a few roots for 28 weeks! Varieties: My favourite variety of beetroot is ‘Pablo F1’. I have grown them for the last few years and I have given up experimenting with other varieties because this one is just perfect.

In case you cannot get ‘Pablo’ you can try: Detroit Globe

Question: Which vegetable has the following varieties: 'Boltardy', 'Cylindra' and 'Forono'?
Answer: BEETROOT